1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer network operations. In particular, the present invention relates to methods, systems, and computer program products for synchronizing by flexibly using multiple synchronization mechanisms while considering the then-existing economic and/or security considerations involved with synchronization over a particular mechanism to a particular device.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Computer networks allow more individuals more ready access to more information than ever before. The Internet is a conglomerate of interconnected computer networks that spreads far and wide throughout the world. An individual need only have an Internet-enabled computer (or device) and an Internet connection to be able to access information from across the globe.
Mobile devices such as mobile telephones; Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and laptop computers also may have the ability to access various objects (e.g., documents) for particular remote network locations. However, accessing documents over a network may be quite time consuming and costly and thus remote access may be unacceptable in many applications. Accordingly, with the memory capabilities of mobile devices increasing, many mobile devices have caching mechanisms that allow them to locally store synchronized copies of more relevant objects that are also stored in another network location.
Synchronization ensures that the copy of a document on the mobile device is an identical replica of a remote copy of the document. After synchronization, however, changes may be made to both of the remote copy or the local copy. Accordingly, the local and remote copies may become quite different after some time. However, the copies are once again made identical during the next synchronization.
Conventional synchronization mechanisms give the user very little control over synchronization. Basically, the user just selects items to synchronize and selects a single synchronization mechanism to use. This rigid approach ignores some factors that are relevant to whether, when, and how to synchronize.
For example, some data is more valuable than others. Yet, the conventional technique does not consider the value of the data once the items for synchronization are selected. For example, a user may select to synchronize an in-box. However, the in-box contains high-value e-mails (such as an e-mail offering a highly coveted job) as well as low value e-mails (such as unwanted spam). Yet, all of the e-mails are synchronized in the exact same manner.
Also current synchronization mechanisms do not consider the costs associated with synchronization. For example, synchronization mechanisms may involve networks with a wide variety of costs and latencies. For example, synchronization over an analog dialup that uses a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network has a relatively low bandwidth of approximately 9.6 to 14.4 kilobits per second. A connection over a General Packet Radio Server (GPRS) network allows somewhat faster throughput speeds of up to 115 kilobits per second. However, current GPRS networks are relatively expensive. A connection over an 802.11b (also called “WiFi”) wireless network can attain speeds of up to 11 megabits per second, orders of magnitude greater than GSM or GPRS. In addition, use of 802.11b networks is typically free to those who have access to the network. However, 802.11b networks are typically less available as they currently span much less of the globe than do GSM or GPRS networks.
Current synchronization techniques also typically do not consider security concerns associated with synchronization. For example, the channel used for synchronization may have various levels of inherent security that guard against eavesdropping. For example, physical network connections are very secure, 802.11b networks are somewhat secure, with GSM dialup networks being somewhat less secure, and with GPRS networks being less secure. Also, the devices to which data may be synchronized may have varying levels of security. For example, some devices give access to any locally stored document to anyone who happens to possess the device, even if that person just stole the device from the legitimate user. Other devices are more secure by requiring a password when first logging in. Others are even more secure by having the screen saver turn on after a short period of lack of use, and require a password to restore the device once the screen saver is on. Others are yet even more secure by having an encrypted file system.
Accordingly, what is desired are mechanisms that use a synchronization mechanism that is appropriate given the economic and security concerns that exist at the time of the synchronization.